Thursday, October 20, 2011

(The picture above is after we updated the look of that space a little bit.)

Well hello there everyone! I hope you all are enjoying your Thursday! I am so excited because my honey is coming home from his deployment on Saturday!!!! WOOOOOOHOOOO! Our life together can finally start!

My handsome and incredible husband and best friend.

The pictures of my husband and I were taken by the talented Jared Teska.

I have been madly trying to get our apartment (which he hasn't even seen yet) in order. I had a blank wall that needed some TLC so I decided to re-purpose some things I already had to create a "B" wall. I love monograms and wanted to display my little collection. I needed one more "B" and didn't want to spend the money so, I used a bee burlap print that I found in my office. It ended up making it more interesting than having just the letters and gets the idea across.

I just have so much fun giving old things a new look. Go find some things you already have and see what new arrangements you can come up with.
Below is a shot after I spruced it up a bit!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Happy Wednesday everyone! As the days are getting cooler I love to warm up with some cozy and delicious recipes. I wanted to share a fantastic Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal recipe from another blogger Tiffany at thegraciouspantry.com.The festive flavor will summon feelings of nostalgia that will excite your family with thoughts of the holidays to come. Create this quick yet special breakfast that will fill your loved ones up with the holiday spirit that makes this time of year so magical. Tiffany at The Gracious Pantry has some incredible and very healthy recipes.

Ingredients

1 cup dry oats, cooked

1/2 cup pumpkin purée

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

4 egg whites for protein (optional)

1/4 cup pecans per serving (I love using the candied pecans)

Maple syrup to taste

Directions

Step 1 – Cook the oats according to package directions.

Step 2 – In the last 5 minutes of cooking (just take a guess, the oats should basically be pretty much done cooking), quickly stir in the eggs, being sure to stir vigorously so they get well-distributed. Then, stir in the pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice.

Step 3 – Put some oats in a bowl and top with pecans and maple syrup.

I love to add:

- A splash of cream and vanilla

- A Tbs. of brown sugar per serving

You must go and check out her blog. Now get to cookin'! Throw it in a beautiful bowl, light a candle, play jazz or classical music and get your family's morning started out right!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Happy Falliday Season everyone!! Autumn is my favorite time of year. The air smells delicious, the days become more crisp and I just love the excitement and magic in the air as the holidays are approaching. My mom came over this weekend for some girl time and we had a blast cooking and fixing up furniture. We also jazzed up my place for autumn. I love all of the colors of fall, but wanted to try something a little more glamorous and less rustic this year. Autumn feels magical to me and I wanted my decor to embody a little bit of that. I was inspired by the sparkling pumpkin carriage in Cinderella. I decided to go in that direction. I still wanted everything to feel festive, but didn't want a lot of orange and red or fake fall leaves from the store, I wanted to try a shimmery, glitzy take on fall. This look is more subtle and sparkles in the candle light, and is a nice segue into the Christmas season.

My amazing mom and I removed the more rustic pieces from my bar area and added lots of silver, crystal and glass. We painted pumpkins a subtle shade of silver and gold and placed them in a patch of vibrant moss instead of hay. We filled a large vase with rocks than layered it with apples that are painted with the same metallic paint. The arrangement was topped off with large branches of Manzanita. These branches will stay looking like this for a long time and the colors are very muted.

Above, I placed one of my driftwood candle holders on the coffee table than staggered metallic pumpkins on candle holders that are dripping with bright green moss. It has a very magical woodland feel. Don't feel you always have to do red orange and yellow for fall colors. Do what looks best with the things you already have. You could even paint your pumpkins blue, pink, grey, yellow, whatever you'd like!

On my mantle we stacked vintage books, branches and metallic pumpkins and apples to represent harvest. There are candles in odd numbers that are all different, but mimic each other.

No matter what the holiday may be, have fun, break out of your routine, and think of different ways to add some unique festive touches to your decor.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

I am so excited!!! I just got my business cards in! I love them because the paper shimmers and the colors are funky! I thought I would share :) The top picture is the front and the bottom picture is the back. I hope that everyone is enjoying this fall weather that is rolling in, I sure am! Light some candles or a fire and go be

Monday, October 3, 2011

Happy October! I wanted to share a quick and awesome tip on how to drastically change the appearance of something for just a couple bucks and in few minutes of your time. This is how I have changed so many things for both myself and my clients. This is "Rub 'n Buff". It is so easy to rub on and it dries instantly. Because it is wax based, you can't paint over it but you could use Rub 'n Buff in a different finish over it! Rub 'n Buff comes in a ton of different finishes, such as gold, silver, and patina. Before getting rid of a piece, look at it with different eyes, you may be able to change it drastically in mere moments and save a bunch of money in the end. Also, a little bit goes a long way. Trust me, this little tube can do many pieces.

(Picture of wax above by unknown source)

Before and After pictures of my clients lamps below. Note updated lamp-shade!